After spending several hours shovelling heavy wet snow last weekend I was reminded that spring really is just around the corner. I came inside to warm up and noticed an e-newsletter from Bunchberry Nurseries located in Upper Clements, Nova Scotia, had arrived in my inbox. It pointed out that we’ve reached the halfway point of winter and highlighted the fact that there are a handful of shrubs and perennials that bloom in late winter, often before the snow has melted.
Perhaps the best-known winter bloomer is witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia), a multi-stemmed shrub or small tree that can grow up to 15 feet tall. “Witch hazels are the first sign of a new season in the garden and that winter is coming to an end,” says Jill Covill, the owner of Bunchberry Nurseries. “They start flowering in late February to early March and the fragrance is intoxicating.” Depending on the cultivar, the spidery flowers come in fiery shades of bright yellow, orange, or deep red.
Three cultivars of witch hazel, which you can find at Bunchberry Nurseries are Arnold's Promise, Diane, and Jelena. These stunning plants also have fabulous fall foliage providing multi-season interest to the landscape.
Savvy gardeners know the value of witch hazels, but many homeowners haven’t discovered them yet. This is because by the time garden centres and nurseries open for the season in mid-spring the flower show is long past. Make a note now to add witch hazel to your garden this spring.
The buttercup witch hazel (Corylopsis pauciflora) is another member of the witch hazel family but is a lesser-known shrub. It grows up to six feet tall with dense branching making it useful as a screening plant.
“This delightful shrub makes an elegant statement in any garden appearing as a cloud of fragrant pale butter yellow bells,” says Covill.
There are also perennial plants that bloom extra early. Consider adding a little late winter colour to your garden with hellebores (Helleborus x hybridus), an evergreen member of the buttercup family. ”
In recent years Hellebores have become the perennial of choice for the garden,” she says. “Breeding work has increased and we now have a sophisticated array of flower colours including black, purple, red, white, pink and yellow, along with many shades in between.”
Hellebores aren’t fussy plants. Covill says they’re easy to grow and thrive in a site with partial shade. “The flower buds are primed to go as soon as the snow melts and hellebores are guaranteed to provide a lengthy floral display early in the season.”
An additional winter wonder is the blueberry relative spring heath (Erica carnea) which grows well in Nova Scotia thanks to our acidic soils. “Its normal flowering time is March to May, but it frequently starts to bloom in December when we’ve had a long warm autumn,” says Covill, who propagates about a dozen varieties at Bunchberry Nurseries.
“The flower colours range from white to shades of pink, purple, and red, but the dark green, bronze, burnt orange, and yellow evergreen foliage also adds garden interest.” Covill adds that the floral display of spring heath lasts well into spring and provides a welcome source of nectar for early bees.
A final suggestion is Arrowwood ‘Dawn’ (Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’), a shrub that bears masses of fragrant pink flowers from late winter to early spring. The blooms are produced on bare branches and eventually mature into burgundy-black fruits. ‘Dawn’ grows up to eight feet tall and offers additional interest in autumn when the foliage turns deep red.
Niki Jabbour is the best-selling author of four gardening books, and a two-time winner of the prestigious American Horticultural Society Book Award. Find her on social media and at SavvyGardening.com.
